The Best Macadamia Nuts Crusted Fish

Written by on in Fish

It’s summer and you are starting to get good numbers of fish and you are at your twelfth fish fry of the summer. Although they are good and fun, frying fish in batter gets old after a while. Here is a recipe to change up those habits a bit! This recipe is not far from a classic fried fish, but the macadamia nuts add a different texture and flavor.

This method of using macadamia nuts for the fish crust comes from Hawaii! So, you can consider this recipe to be taking your summer to a whole new level.

Here are a couple little tips to help you cut the macadamia nuts. First, you can use the bottom of a pan to crush the nuts. Just watch for particles flying off. You can then easily finish the job with a knife. Second, you can use a food processor. When you do so, just pulse the nuts slowly with the panko. If you blend the nuts quickly, you will end up with macadamia nuts butter.

I am adding a spicy orange sauce to go along with the fish. This sauce is very simple, amazing and can be used to different applications! The sweetness of the orange and the honey go very well with the smoky and spicy chipotle. This sauce accompanies very well any fish or meat dish.

The Best Macadamia Nuts Crusted Fish
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The Best Macadamia Nuts Crusted Fish

Cuisine: Hawaiian, PolynesianDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • The fish

  • 2 tsp of vegetable oil

  • 4 white fleshed fish fillets (I used fillets from fishes that were 35 to 40 cm (14″ to 16″))

  • 1 tbsp of mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup panko

  • 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts, finely chopped (see introduction for tips)

  • The spicy orange sauce

  • 1 cup of orange juice

  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced finely (or a few dash of your favorite hot sauce)

  • 1 tbsp. of honey (or maple syrup)

  • 1 tsp of soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp. of salted butter, in small cubes

Directions

  • The fish preparation
  • Preheat the oven at 400 F
  • Lay a sheet of aluminum paper on a baking sheet and spread (or spray) vegetable oil on the aluminum sheet. In bowl, mix the panko and the macadamia nuts.
  • Pat the fillets dry and place on the oiled baking sheet. Brush the mayonnaise on the fillets and add the macadamia nuts mix while lightly pressing.
  • Place the fish in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until flaky to the fork. Optionally, finish the fish on broil for an extra crispy panko-nuts crust.
  • The sauce preparation
  • While the fish is in the oven, heat a small pan under medium-high heat. Add the orange juice, the chipotle, the honey, and the soy sauce. Reduce the sauce to half while constantly stirring, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Once the sauce reduced, incorporate the butter. The sauce is now done.
  • The plating
  • Serve the fish fillets on a generous dash of the sauce. Decorate with cilantro. Serve with your choice of grilled vegetables or fresh salad.

SUBSTITUTIONS – Since we do not always have success when going outdoors or not everyone practices hunting, fishing or picking. here are a few ideas to substitute the harvested ingredients:

  • The whitefish fillets can be replaced with any grocery store bought white fleshed fish fillets. Make sure they are at least 2cm (1 inch) thick.
  • The whitefish fillets can be replaced with any white fleshed fish you caught, such as walleye, whitefish, pike, bass, burbot, etc.

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